books
NK
4605
. M16
1880
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CHINA PAINTING,
A PRACTICAL MANUAL
FOR THE USE OF
AMATEURS IN THE DECORATION OF
HARD PORCELAIN.
M. LOUISE McLaughlin.
’* He may do what he will that will but do what he may.’’ — Arthur Warwick^
CINCINNATI
ROBERT CLARKE & CO
1880
CLOfs) S
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COPYHIGHT :
M. LOUISE McLAUQHLIMj,
1877.
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I
THE GEHY CENTER
LIBRARY
PREFACE.
Having been repeatedly urged to give the
results of my experience in china painting to my
fellow art-students, I take this method of doing
so. A great desire exists at present among those
interested in art studies, to acquire a knowl-
edge of painting in enamel colors, and I hope
that this record of personal experience may add
something to the general information on the
subject. It may perhaps be the means of saving
beginners from the difficulties which beset my
own course when entering upon the practice of
the art.
Cincinnati, September^ i877*
(iiO
“ Success defends on knowing how to he ffa-
iient^ how to endure drudgery^ how to unmake
and remake^ how to recommence and continue
without allowing the tide of anger or the flight
of the imagination to arrest or divert the daily
effort H. Taine.
(iv)
The art of painting on china is certainly a
beautiful one, and is, perhaps, peculiarly fitted to
be an agreeable pastime for persons of leisure.
There is, however, too general a tendency to
consider it simply in the light of an amusement,
unworthy of serious study, and an art for the
practice of which no special training or knowl-
edge is necessary.
Now, what is worth doing at all is worth doing
well, and the idea that one can successfully prac-
tice any branch of art without having previously
learned to draw is false. The eye and hand
must be trained, and the taste cultivated, before
any result worthy of the name can be achieved.
The best foundation for any art-work is a
(v)
V
INTRODUCTION.
thorough knowledge of drawing; and the time
spent in acquiring such knowledge will never be
regretted. It is true that there are methods of
decorating china with simple designs, which may
be accomplished by those unskilled in the use of
the pencil or brush ; yet, as the hand of the master
is revealed in the most careless sketch, so the
want of skill or freedom of touch is apparent in
the treatment of the simplest subject.
To those who have the time and patience, as
well as the natural ability to learn to draw, we
would say: Make it your first business to ac-
quire that knowledge. Cultivate your taste by
study of the best models ; -educate the eye to
perceive beautiful forms in nature or art, and
the hand to transcribe them.
Painting on china, may not offer the same fa
cilities for the truthful rendering of nature as
oil or water-color painting, but it has other com
pensating advantages in the beauty of the enamel,
and the enduring qualities of the pigments, when
fixed by the fire.
With the present greatly increased facilities
INTRODUCTION.
Vll
afforded by the improvements in the manufac
ture of colors, china painting should regain
something of its former prestige among the arts.
In other times the greatest artists exercised their
art upon this material, which, seemingly so frail,
has preserved their work unharmed for ages.
A revival of the art, however, can not be ex-
pected from a servile copying of the old designs
and methods. As well might the artists of the
modern school have expected to arrive at their
present knowledge of technique by copying the
pictures of Durer or Van Eyck.
There will be no true revival of any branch
of art unless founded upon study of nature and
the adaptation of her principles to design, and
there will likewise be no advance possible to the
individual art student without this study and
practice.
This study brings with it its own reward in
the cultivation of what has been called the artistic
sense, which, in the words of Thackeray, reveals
“splendors of nature, to vulgar sights invisible,
and beauties manifest in forms, colors, shad-
Vlll
INTRODUCTION.
ows of common objects, where most of the world
saw only what was dull, and gross, and familiar.
One reads in the magic story-books of a charm
or a flower which the wizard gives, and which
enables the bearer to see the fairies. O enchant-
ing boon of nature, which reveals to the pos-
sessor the hidden spirits of beauty round about
him — spirits which the strongest and most gifted
masters compel into painting or song! To
others it is granted but to have fleeting glimpses
of that fair art-world, and tempted by ambition,
or barred by faint-heartedness, or driven by
necessity, to turn away thence to the vulgar life-
track and the light of common day.”
FIRING.
Although firing is the final process of china,
painting, it may be well to make some remarks
upon it here, as to have a successful result the
work must always be done with reference to the
ordeal by which it is to be completed.
It is generally supposed that two or three fir-
ings are indispensable for a piece of work in
which various colors are used.
This may be desirable where there are the fa-
cilities for firing that exist in places in which por-
celain is extensively manufactured and decorated,
but here it is impracticable. After the first fir-
ing, the heat should be modified for succeeding
ones. Where a great deal of work is done, and
(9)
lO
CHINA PAINTING.
the firings are consequently frequent, pieces in
each stage of progress can be fired with others
which require the same degree of heat. Here,
where there is less work to be done, and the fir-
ings are not so frequent, a piece of work intended
for a second firing is placed in the same oven with
others going through the process for the first time.
Repeated firings under such circumstances not
only involve much loss of time and considerable
expense, but endanger the success of the work.
The absence of facilities for obtaining a second
firing is, however, in my opinion no appreciable
disadvantage. There may be occasions where an
effect desired can only be produced by two fir-
ings ; but, as a general thing, one is all that is
necessary. In my own practice, I have invari-
ably prepared the work to receive but one firing,
finishing the painting in the same way as in water
colors ; usually in one sitting of two or three
hours.
Small furnaces called muffles can be procured
by which china may be fired by the artist. These
are best suited for small pieces; larger ones, it is
FIRING.
I I
said, are liable to break in such an oven. Muf-
fles would probably be useful where repeated
firings were desired, or where the services of a
good operator could not be secured to perform
that part of the work. Where this is possible,
however, it is safer and probably more econom-
ical of time and money to have it done by the
professional decorator.
A process has recently been invented by a
Frenchman, M. Gabelle, by which, it is said,
pieces of china of ordinary size and shape may
be easily fired at home without a muffle. Hav-
ing never tried it, I can not vouch for the suc-
cess of the experiment from personal experience.
It has been tried, however, in the presence of
many artists and teachers in Paris, who have been
convinced of its efficiency in spite of their pre-
vious incredulity.
The apparatus necessary — a sheet-iron or
earthenware stove in which wood is burned, such
as is used in France — is not so common here as
to make the experiment within the reach of
many. I will, however, give an account of it.
12
CHINA PAINTING.
translated from M. Gabelle’s pamphlet, as a
suggestion to any who have the facilities and may
wish to verify the experiment.
After having repeatedly heaped up pieces of
dry wood in the grate, you obtain a thick
layer of embers. When the wood is perfectly
consumed and you see the blue flames appear,
take the piece of china from the oven where
it has been previously placed for some moments,
and, raising it with the aid of the tongs and a
flat shovel which have also been warmed, place
it on top of the bed of coals. Close the doors
quickly, and, a quarter or half hour afterward,
close the damper to prevent the cinders, which
commence to cover the surface of the coals, from
flying and attaching themselves to the painting.
At the end of from thirty to fifty minutes, ac-
cording to the heat of the fire, remove the ob-
ject from the coals with the shovel and tongs, not
without having taken the precaution to heat them
again, and place it in the oven, that it may not
cool too quickly. In firing plates or pieces which
FIRING.
13
are not in danger of rolling in the cinders, it is
better to wait until they are completely cool.
Astonishing as it may seem, M. Gabelle says
he has never known a piece to break in the fire,
and that the enamel obtained by this process is
of the greatest brilliancy.
Care should be taken, however, that there be
no pieces among the coals which would cause
smoke. The bed of glowing embers should also
be smoothed carefully, so that the painted sur-
face may not be injured by contact with them.
A more intense fire can be obtained by the
addition of some large pieces of charcoal when
the wood is on the point of being consumed.
14
CHINA PAINTING.
CHAPTER II.
MATERIALS.
The china used for decoration should be of
the very finest quality, free from spots or other
imperfections of the enamel.
Pieces fulfilling these conditions are difficult
to find. However, those only should be selected
which are as free from defects as it is possible to
obtain them. The hard porcelain of French
manufacture is the best for the purpose of deco-
rating.
The colors for painting on china must be vit-
rifiable, having in addition to the coloring matter
a vitreous flux, as it is called, which fixes the
coloring matter under the action of the fire, and
at the same time imparts great brilliancy and du-
rability to the colors.
Until a comparatively recent date they were
procured in powder and mixed by the artist
MATERIALS.
11
with the oils necessary to their use. As the
success of the work largely depends upon the
proper grinding and preparation of the colors,
this method involves considerable risk in the
hands of beginners, besides being tedious and
annoying to those more experienced. Now that
a method of putting up the colors in tubes has
been adopted, this tiresome and uncertain pro-
cess is no longer necessary. Some china painters
still prefer to use the powdered colors. Having
used both, I would most readily declare in favor
of the tube colors, when properly prepared, and
think that a like decision will be the result in any
case where they are fairly tried. In the following
pages, the palettes recommended will be com-
posed from the colors manufactured by M.
Lacroix, of Paris. Having had considerable
experience in their use, I consider them the best
made, and can say of them, that they leave nothing
to be desired.
Colors of different manufacture should not be
used together in painting.
Brushes for water-color painting may also De
i6
CHINA PAINTING.
used on china. Those of medium size, with
good points, are the best.
Small camels’-hair brushes with square ends
may be had, which will do for blending, when
necessary in fine work.
For tinted surfaces, borders, etc., large blend-
ers are necessary. The brushes used by gilders,
and called in the trade gilders* dusters, make
good blenders for this purpose. No. 9 is a
very good size.
For placing the color on these surfaces, a
broad, flat camels’-hair brush rather more than
an inch in width should be used. For narrow
bands and lines, brushes of suitable size, with
very long hairs and square ends, are used.
To recapitulate and sum up the materials nec-
essary for painting on china, I would enumerate
the following items
I. A set of tube colors, more or less in num-
ber, according to the scope of the work to be
done.
MATERIALS.
I?
As the colors can not be mixed with as great
freedom as those for water-color painting, or even
oil colors, it is better to have a greater variety
than might be necessary in either of those branches
of art. For a list which would include the col-
ors desirable to have for every style of painting,
containing nothing unnecessary, and from which
those requisite for any particular subject could
be selected according to the palettes given here-
after under the various heads, we would offer
the following :
REDS AND RED BROWNS.
Carmine^ No. ^yfonce — Dark carmine.
Rouge chair ^ No. i — Flesh red. No. 2.
Rouge capucine — Capucine red.
Brun rouge riche — Dark red brown.
Violet de fer — Iron violet.
PURPLES.
' Pourpre riche — Deep purple.
Violet d!or fonc'e — Dark golden violet.
i8
CHINA PAINTING.
BLUES.
Bleu del ou axur — Sky blue.
Bleu outremer riche — Dark ultramarine.
Bleu riche— blue.
GREENS.
Vert^ No. 5, pr^ — Grass green.
Verty No. 6, brun — Brown green.
Vert pomme — Apple green.
YELLOWS.
Jaune a mUer — Mixing yellow.
Jaune dHvoire — Ivory yellow.
Jaune jonquille — Jonquil yellow.
Jaune orang'e — Orange yellow.
BROWNS.
Brun 4 fonce ou 17 — Dark brown.
Brun jaune — Yellow brown.
BLACK.
Noir cHvoire — Ivory black.
MATERIALS.
9
WHITE.
Blanc fixe — Permanent white.
GREYS.
Gris, No, 6, perle. — Pearl grey.
Gris noir — Black grey.
2. A porcelain palette.
3. A glass slab about eight inches square.
4. Several small and medium-sized camels*
hair brushes.
5. Several blenders, large and small.
6. A quart bottle of spirits of turpentine.
7. A quart bottle of 98 per cent, alcohol.
8. A small bottle of oil of turpentine, one of
oil of lavender, and one of balsam of copaiva,
9. A steel palette knife ; also one of horn or
ivory.
10. A rest for the hand while painting, made
of a strip of wood about an inch and a half
wide and twelve inches long, supported at each
end by a foot, an inch and a half in height. A
20
CHINA PAINTING.
flat ruler or thin strip of wood may be used for
plates, or any flat piece having a raised edge, and
may be found more convenient than the more
cumbrous rest.
11. A fine needle, set in a handle, for remov-
ing particles of dust which may settle in the
painting.
12. A small glass muller.
A full outfit, such as is mentioned above, can
be procured at a cost of from ten to twelve dol-
lars.
PREPARING THE DESIGN.
21
CHAPTER III.
PREPARING THE DESIGN.
In commencing to paint a design on china,
the first thing to be done, of course, is to sketch
the outline. The best way to do this is to pre-
pare the china by rubbing the surface with spirits
of turpentine, and, after having left it a few mo-
ments to dry, draw the design upon it very
lightly with a hard lead pencil.
Alcohol may also be used for the same pur-
pose, and has the advantage, that it is not so li-
able to catch the dust. The surface, however,
does not receive the marks of the lead pencil so
well as when it is prepared with turpentine.
Lithographic crayon may also be used, and with-
out any preparation, but the outline is not so
delicate as that drawn with the lead pencil.
If the subject is a difficult one, as for instance,
a design containing several figures, time may be
22
CHINA PAINTING.
saved and liability to error avoided by tracing
the design, which insures the correct relative posi-
tion of the figures, and tends to produce the ob-
ject desired, a correct copy of the original. It
is better, however, to sketch simpler subjects
directly upon the china.
It is commonly supposed that a tracing is of
great assistance to any one unskilled in drawing,
but if one is unable to draw a correct outline,
it is hardly possible that the painting will be
better. It is so very easy to lose the outline in
working, that, after all, a tracing is but a slight
indication, which has, for its principal use,
the placing of the design in exactly the right
position on the plate or other object to be decor-
ated.
There are various ways of tracing; the sim-
plest and best of which is the following: Lay a
piece of transparent paper over the design to be
copied, and trace the outlines very carefully with
a hard lead pencil, then turn the tracing paper
over on any white surface, and go over all the
lines on the reverse side with a soft pencil. You
PREPARING THE DESIGN.
can now lay the tracing, right side up, on the
china, which has been previously prepared for
the lead pencil with turpentine, and having
placed it in exactly the right position, secure it
by means of bits of modelling wax or gummed
paper at the corners, and pass over the lines with
a hard point, or rub the entire surface with a
rounded instrument. The handle of the palette
knife may be used for this purpose. This will
transfer the pencil drawing to the surface of the
china.
The more delicate the outline the better, pro-
vided it is plainly visible, as a heavy, dark or
colored outline sullies the colors used upon it,
and causes much annoyance in working. Al-
though it may disappear in the firing, it is better
to avoid it. Faulty lines in the tracing may be
rectified by the use of a sharpened stick of soft
wood moistened with turpentine.
CHINA PAINTING.
124
CHAPTER IV.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING.
These directions are confined to the use of
enamel colors on hard porcelain. This material
is suitable for every style, and as the painting is
done on the glaze, is capable of receiving the
highest degree of finish.
A plate or flat plaque is the best subject for a
beginner, as it is more easily managed than cups
or other articles with rounded surfaces.
As stated before, the colors in tubes are es-
pecially to be recommended to the novice.
If the powdered colors are used, however, the
powder should be well rubbed down with a little
oil of turpentine and thinned with the spirits of
■turpentine, a saucer of which should be kept on
the table while working, and used in the same
way that water is used in water-color painting —
for diluting the paint and washing the brushes.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING.
If the tube colors are used, it will simply be
necessary to dilute them with turpentine. If
they are difficult to lay, a drop or so of oil of
turpentine may be added to the spirits of tur-
pentine. Care should be taken, however, to
avoid an excess of oil, as it renders the colors
liable to blister in the fire.
The use of clove oil as a medium is advised
by some. The color can perhaps be more easily
laid with it than with spirits of turpentine. It
does not dry so quickly, however, and unless
recourse is had to the process of drying the work
with the aid of an alcohol lamp, its use involves
tedious waiting. Others recommend oil of lav-
ender. For my own part, I think the use of
spirits of turpentine decidedly preferable, as in
that case no time need be lost in waiting for the
work to dry, and it is possible to finish a paint-
ing in one sitting.
The drying of the colors is affected by
the state of the atmosphere. Statements, there-
fore, that are founded on the usage of foreign
painters, with reference to this point, are prac
26
CHINA PAINTING.
tically of little value here, as the difference in
climate changes the conditions under which the
work is executed.
If during the progress of the painting it is
found to be difficult to work over the colors first
laid, which are indeed very liable to come up,
the piece of china may be placed in a moderately
warm oven, to dry, before proceeding. On
being taken out of the oven, the col9rs will be
found to l|ave lost their gloss, if perfectly dry,
and perhaps will have changed their hue. No
alarm need be felt at this, as they will return to
their former brilliancy when fired.
Some china painters disapprove altogether of
any rapid method of drying, and only advise
that the work be laid aside until dry, others
dry it by means of an alcohol lamp. If you use
spirits of turpentine as a medium, however,
the part first done will, as a general thing, be-
come dry enough to work over while you are
engaged on other portions of the design.
A second vessel containing turpentine should
be kept on the working table, for the purpose of
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING- 'IJ
washing the brushes, especially when the same
one is used for various colors.
After using a color containing iron, the brush
should be carefully washed before it is charged
with one which does not contain iron, or if white
is to be used.
The brushes ought not to be too small, and the
colors should, as far as possible, be laid in broad
washes, and decided touches placed lightly and
quickly and not overworked. The use of the
blender may be resorted to if necessary, especi-
ally in laying the first washes, although it is
better to avoid it afterward if possible.
The same rules may be applied to china paint-
ing as to water-colors, to which it bears a close re-
semblance. The greatest art consists in placing
each touch where it should go and leaving it, not
spoiling it by uncertainty or degrading the tint
by overwork. In fine work, lining and stippling
are necessary in finishing, but should not be car-
ried to excess or made too apparent. These latter
processes are, perhaps, more indispensable in
preparing work for a single firing, as it is very
28
CHINA PAINTING.
difficult to lay repeated washes over one another,
the under tint comes up so readily, especially
when it is not thoroughly dry.
The same place must never be passed over by
the brush twice in immediate succession, as the
under tint will certainly come up, and the blot
caused in the painting will be difficult to rectify.
It is of no use to attempt it while it is wet;
work on some other part and then go over it,
or first dry it in the oven.
Some of the tube colors may require to be
rubbed down after being taken from the tubes.
This will be especially necessary in the case of
the carmines and whites. A horn or ivory pa-
lette knife should be used with these colors, as
well as with the blues, and all colors containing
no iron. Mixtures of colors on the palette may
be rubbed down occasionally or mixed with the
brush before using, to prevent them from sepa-
rating themselves into their component parts.
Too much turpentine should not be taken
into the brush when it is to be charged with
color. Dip it into the turpentine, and, remove
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING. 29
the surplus moisture by drawing the brush over
the edge of the vessel containing it, before taking
up the color from the palette. The tint may be
tried first on the edge of the plate. Surplus color
or moisture may be removed by touching the
brush upon a muslin rag, which should al-
ways be at hand for the purpose of wiping the
brushes.
After using, the brushes should be washed in
alcohol. The bottle containing it must be kept
tightly corked, as it evaporates very quickly when
exposed to the air. Care must be taken that no
drops of the alcohol fall upon the painting, as
it will immediately remove the colors from the
surface. When the large brushes are cleaned,
after being washed in the alcohol, the hairs
should be spread apart, and the fingers passed
lightly over them until they are dry; otherwise,
the hairs may stick together in drying, and the
brush be rendered unfit for use. Washing in
alcohol will prevent the turpentine used in paint-
ing from injuring the brushes, as it would if al-
lowed to remain in them.
,30
CHINA PAINTING.
As a general rule, the shadows should be
painted a little darker than they are to appear
when finished, as they are liable to become lighter
in the firing.
Dust floating in the atmosphere is very annoy-
ing, as it attaches itself so readily to the painting
while in progress. The moist color settles
around these particles and forms spots on the
work which may not disappear in the firing.
This should be avoided Js far as possible. If it
should happen, however, that any particles fall
upon the painting, they may be removed with
the point of a needle. This instrument will also
be found useful for removing surplus color,
when desired.
The tube colors should be preserved from heat
as far as possible. If they become dry in the
course of time, which should not be before they
have been kept a year, at least, the other end of
the tube may be opened, and the color taken out
with the palette knife, and rubbed down with tur-
pentine. It would be well to change the position
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PAINTING. 3 1
of the tubes lying in the box, occasionally, to
prevent the color separating from the oils
with which it is mixed. The tops should also be
screwed on very tight, as the paint is liable to
run out.
I
.1
32
CHINA PAINTING.
CHAPTER V.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES FOR VARIOUS STYLES
OF PAINTING.
In the following pages will be found lists of
colors and mixtures to be used for the various
subjects which may be painted on china.
I do not wish to be understood as saying that
these are the only combinations that can be used,
or that they are the best, but simply that in my
own experience they have produced the desired
results.
Each artist has his own method of making up
his palette. The liberty of choice enjoyed in
mixing oil or water colors is, however, some-
what abridged in china painting by the chemical
changes produced by the action of the fire, which
forbids mixtures which would be quite innocent
in either of the former mediums.
The following palettes are, however, suggested
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
33
for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the use
o^ enamel colors as combinations which m.ay be
relied upon to produce the results attributed to
them.
I have endeavored to limit the number of
colors as far as possible, believing that where one
color will produce the desired effect, the mention
of half a dozen only confuses the student. The
difficulty of indiscriminate mixing, referred to
before, renders a greater number of colors nec-
essary in china painting than in oil or water
colors. Yet, as in those branches of art, it is
better to have a limited palette, and learn its full
capacity, than to become involved in the in-
tricacies of one embracing more colors, but
producing combinations less likely to har-
monize. It is certainly less confusing, and leads
to more thorough knowledge, for a beginner to
use few colors, and comprehend perfectly how
effects are produced.
It will be proper to introduce here a classifica-
tion of the colors used in china painting, which
34
CHINA PAINTING.
will lead to an understanding of the way’ in which
they may be mixed.
M. Lacroix, from whose work the following
is adapted, has classified the colors with regard td
iron, which plays an important part in the com-
position of many of them.
First Group. Colors without iron — the whi^tes,
blues, and the gold colors.
Second Group. Colors containing but little
iron — yellows and greens.
Third Group. Colors whose base is iron — the
reds, flesh reds, red browns, iron violets, the
browns, brown yellows, ochres, blacks, and most
of the greys.
In the first class, the colors whose base is gold
are the carmines, carmine lake, the purples, and
the golden violets.
The foundation of these colors is purple of
cassius, which is made of gold and tin. It gives
tints which vary from lilac to dark violet. Mod-
ified by silver and different fluxes, it produces
carmines and purples.
If the carmines are fired at too Iowa tempera-
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
35
ture, the silver predominates and the color takes
a dirty yellow tint. If, on the contrary, the
temperature is too high, the shade of silver is
completely destroyed, and the carmine changes
to lilac. This effect does not exist in the purples
to the same degree. Carmine will also take a
yellowish tint in the firing if applied very thickly.
The blues, with rare exceptions, owe their
color to cobalt. As the mixture of cobalt and
iron gives tints varying from light grey to black,
according to the proportions, it is well to take
great precaution when using the blues with the
reds, flesh colors, browns, and ochres.
The brushes which have been used with these
colors should also be carefully washed before
using for a blue of which a pure tint is desired.
Care should be observed in the use of the yel-
lows, some of which cause the colors mixed with
them to disappear entirely in the fire. This effect
is seen where too much ivory yellow is mixed
with red.
Mixing yellow and jonquil yellow do not con-
tain iron, and are preferable, therefore, for mix-
36
CHINA PAINTING.
ing with the blues to obtain fresh greens. Other
yellows containing iron should, on the contrary,
be used with the iron colors.
The color called silver yellow does not contain
silver; it is composed of jonquil and orange
yellows. It mixes readily with the gold colors,
also with iron violet, and sometimes with reds.
Coral color can not be used in painting, on
account of its extreme sensibility to the fire,
which' at a high temperature will sometimes change
it to yellow.
Most of the browns owe their tints to the
mixture of cobalt and iron. They frequently
contain zinc also. The yellow browns and ochres
are generally produced by a mixture of iron and
zinc.
The best blacks are usually made of cobalt and
iron, like the browns, only in the former the
cobalt predominates.
All the greys, with the exception of platina
grey, are made by mixing colors of the different
groups — blacks, blues, and reds, according to the
tints required.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
37
Greys may also be obtained in painting by
mixing complementary colors — the reds and
greens, yellows and violets (those composed of
carmine and blue). Grey may also be made by
mixing one-third ivory black with two-thirds sky
blue. Wherever black is used very thinly to form
a grey tint, it should be mixed with a little blue.
Black used alone, in thin washes, is sometimes
found to rub off after the firing.
Some colors require more heat for their fusion
than others. These are called hard colors.
As the flux, joined to the coloring oxide in the
manufacture of the colors, lightens the tint, it
follows that those containing less flux — viz, the
dark colors — are harder than the light colors.
The lighter and more fusible colors, though
burning in the same time, are the bleu del clair
(light sky blue) ; carmin tendre^ A (soft carmine,
A,,) ; the gris perle (pearl grey) ; gris roux (reddish
grey), and the jaune d'ivoire (ivory yellow).
These colors should not be applied too thickly,
as they will be liable to scale in firing.
If by any means the painting should not have
38
CHINA PAINTING.
received sufficient glaze in the firing, the glaze
may be restored by applying a light wash of one
of the more fusible colors, and firing the piece
again. For mixtures of brown or reddish tones
a very light wash of fusible grey may be used.
The blanc fixe (permanent white) and other
opaque compounds are seldom employed in
painting on hard porcelain, their use being lim-
ited to little touches or spots, for heightening
the effect in jewels or embroidery, or for the
highest light in white flowers or drapery.
It would be better before beginning to paint
with the china colors, to arrange, upon a plate of
the kind of china you wish to use, samples of
the different colors and mixtures, carefully
marked. This, after it has been fired, will be of
great assistance for reference in using the colors.
PAINTING IN MONOCHROME.
Painting in this style, en camaieu, as it is called
by the French, has a very pleasing effect on
china, and, as it is somewhat easier than that in
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
39
which various colors are used, may be recom-
mended to the beginner, especially if unfamiliar
with the use of oil or water colors.
Paintings en camaieu may be made in almost
any color. The easiest to use for this purpose
are, probably, violet de fer (iron violet) or brun
rouge riche (deep red brown). Sepia may also
be easily employed with good effect.
Monochromes in pink and blue are very
pretty ; but the colors are rather more difficult
to use.
Carmine may be used for pink monochromes.
The tint, however, is likely to be affected differ-
ently by the fire, where it is laid on thinly or the
contrary. It is difficult, in using this color, to
have two pieces intended to match fired with the
same tint.
Pourpre riche (deep purple) may also be used,
with less risk of having the tint altered by the
fire
40
CHINA PAINTING.
PALETTES FOR FLOWER PAINTING.
Colors Required.
Vert.^ No. 5, pre — Grass green.
Vert^ No. 6, brun — Brown green.
Vert, No. 7, noir — Black green.
V ert pomme — Apple green.
Jaune a mUer — Mixing yellow.
Jaune jonquille — Jonquil yellow.
Jaune orange — Orange yellow.
Bleu ceil azur — Sky blue.
Bleu riche — Deep blue.
Carmine, No. 1,, fonce — Dark carmine.
Pottrpre riche — Deep purple.
Violet dl or — Golden violet.
Rouge capucine — Capucine red.
Rouge orange — Orange red.
Brmi rouge riche — Deep red brown.
Rouge chair. No. 2 — Flesh red, No. 2.
In laying on the first washes, for a flower, the
strokes of the brush should proceed from the
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
41
circumference to the center, and for a leaf, from
the central vein to the edge. In painting
grasses or parallel-veined leaves the stroke should
be made from the top to the bottom of the leaf.
After the design is prepared, lay in first the local
tints of the various parts, so that they may be
dry by the time you wish to paint the shadow
Do this with flat, broad washes, blending them
with a small brush, if necessary. By the time
the last of these washes has been placed the part
first done will be ready for the shading.
The centers of flowers should be painted di-
rectly on the china. Any adjacent colors which
may infringe upon the outline must be scraped
or wiped olf.
On white grounds the painting should be rather
light, to avoid a hard effect, and on dark colored
grounds, correspondingly dark, to avoid weak-
ness.
FOLIAGE.
For the local tint use vert^ No. pre (grass
green). Blue may be added if a bluish green
is desired, or, if a yellow green, it may be made
42
CHINA PAINTING.
by the addition of jaune a mUer (mixing yellow)
or jaune jonquille (jonquil yellow), if a more
brilliant tint is desired.
Vert brun (brown green) may be used for the
shadows, mixed with grass green, using more
of the former as the shadow deepens. A small
quantity of dark blue may also be added to
darken and subdue the tint.
Vert^ No. 7, noir (black green; may be used in
some cases for very dark shadows, but should be
employed with great care, as it is a color of great
intensity.
Carmine and purple may be used with greens,
when greyish shadows are required.
Greens may also be shaded with brown. Brun
4 fonce (dark brown) may be used also for touches
of brown. For red touches on leaves, etc., violet
de fer (iron violet) may be employed.
FLOWERS.
For white flowers the surface of the china,
forms the local tint. For the shadows a grejr
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
43’
'made of black with the addition of a very small
quantity of blue may be used, or any of the other
greys previously mentioned. Gris noir (black
grey) is a bluish grey of great intensity, which
must be used with great care, especially in mix-
tures with reds and yellows.
* The highest lights may be touched with blanc
fix'e (permanent white) or blanc chinois (Chi-
nese white).
Yellow flowers may be painted with jaune a
meler (mixing yellow) or jaune jonquille (jonquil
yellow) and shaded with vert brun (brown green).
When touched with brownish red, violet de fer
(iron violet) may be used.
For blue flowers either of the blues may be
used according to the tint desired. They may
be shaded with the black or gris noir (black grey).
Some colors, such as that of the common pale
blue morning-glory, may require the addition
of a little carmine.
Pink flowers may be painted with carmine, and
shaded with a grey made of carmine and vert
pomme (apple green).
44
CHINA PAINTING.
Dark crimson may be made with pourpre riche
(deep purple), shaded with the same.
Dark purple flowers can be painted pourpre
riche (deep purple), and bleu riche (deep blue),
adding more or less of the blue, according as the
color desired is more purple or crimson. They
should be shaded with the same color. This
mixture forms a tint of great intensity. Violet
d' or (golden violet) may also be used for purple
flowers, with the addition of bleu riche (deep blue),
when desired.
For red flowers there are rouge capucine (capu-
cine red), rouge orange (orange red), brun rouge
riche (deep red brown), or rouge chair (flesh red).
They may be shaded with the same tint used for
the lights, and by the addition of black, brown,
or violet de fer (iron violet), according to the
color desired.
Yellow centers of flowers may be painted with
mixing yellow, shaded with brown green, and
touched with sepia or heightened with jonquil or
orange yellow.
When floral designs are painted from na-
COMPOSITION OF PALETTEb.
45
ture, it would, perhaps, be better to make
the studies in water-colors. The painting can
then be executed on the china with more free-
dom.
Designs in water-colors are better suited for
reproduction on china than when painted in oil
colors, as the former method bears a much closer
resemblance to china-painting.
The flowers should be arranged in a careless,
graceful manner. A design occupying one side
of a plate, for instance, and straying over into
the border, will be more pleasing than one placed
directly in the center. Grasses may accompany
the flowers with good effect, and are so easy to
paint that they may be recommended to the be-
ginner as good subjects for the first studies from
nature.
BUTTERFLIES.
Butterflies form a very pretty accompaniment
to flowers on china. They should be painted in
positions as natural as possible. After the sketch.
46
CHINA PAINTING.
is made the black markings and veining of the
wings should be painted with noir d'ivoire (ivory
black), and afterward the intermediate spaces
filled up with the proper colors. For brown
butterflies, sepia may be used. Take jaune a
meler (mixing yellow) for the common yellow
butterfly, and shade sNithvert brun (brown green).
PALETTE FOR LANDSCAPES.
Colors Required,
Vert, No. 5, pre — Grass green.
Vert, No. 6, brun — Brown green.
Vert pomme — Apple green.
Vert noir — Black green.
Bleu del ou azur — Sky blue.
Bleu riche — Deep blue.
Vert bleu riche — Deep blue green.
Brun, 4 fonce — Dark brown.
Brun sepia — Sepia.
Jaune d'ivoire — Ivory yellow.
Jaune a meler — Mixing yellow.
Carmine, No. 3, fonce — Dark carmine.
Noir d'ivoire — Ivory black.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
4’7
Sketch lightly with a hard lead pencil. Wash
in the sky with bleu del (sky blue) and blend it.
Clouds should be taken out before it dries.
This may be done by wiping off the color with
a cloth. To prevent it from drying too quickly,
the color used for the sky might be mixed with
a little more oil.
Shadows of the clouds may be painted with a
grey made of ivory black and sky blue. If a
yellowish tint is desired for the lighter parts,
jaune d'ivoire (ivory yellow) may be used.
The distance can be painted with vert pomme
(apple green) and carmine, allowing the apple
green to predominate.
For a tint more purple, vert bleu riche (deep
blue green) may be used with carmine.
For nearer parts, take apple green subdued
with vert noir (black green), or vert brun (brown
green).
These tints must all be applied very delicately.
The trunks of trees and particularly any
branches relieved against the sky may now be
sketched in with brun^ 4 fonce (dark brown).
48
CHINA PAINTING.
• The foliage should be painted with short,
broad touches, to give the proper effect. For
the highest lights, when the color is yellow green,
use vert^ No. 5, pre (grass green) and jaune a
meler (mixing yellow). For the middle tints,
grass greeni alone. Shadows maybe made with
the addition of vert brun (brown green).
A good tint for the dark shadows can be made
from grass green subdued with brown green and
a little deep blue.
Black green is a good color for very intense
tints, but must be used sparingly.
Water may be painted with apple green and
sky blue ; also, with vert bleu riche (deep blue
green) applied delicately. For reflections of
trees, use black green heightened with grass
green.
For earth, ochre, or any of the lighter browns,
such as yellow brown, or sepia, may be used,
subdued with black.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
49
PALETTE FOR HEADS OR FIGURES.
Colors Required.
Rouge chair ^ No. i — Flesh red, No. 2.
Brun rouge riche — Deep red brown.
Jaune d'ivoire — Ivory yellow.
Bleu del ou a%ur—^\iq blue.
Noir d'ivoire — Ivory black.
Brun 4 fonce — Dark brown.
Brun Sepia — Sepia.
METHOD OF PAINTING A HEAD.
Sketch the design very lightly with a hard lead
pencil. If you have difficulty in preserving a
pencil outline while working on it, the sketch
may be made in water colors, or with an enamel
color mixed with water. This has the advan-
tage, that it will allow you work over it without
coming up. Take any reddish color and make a
very delicate outline with the brush.
For the background, mix about one-third noir
50
CHINA PAINTING.
d'ivoire (ivory black) with two-thirds bleu del
(sky blue). With this mixture commence by
washing in the background lightly, making it
darker near the head and lighter toward the outer
edges, where, when blended, it should lose itself
in the white of the china. This tint should be
laid very rapidly, leaving the outer edge in ir-
regular, cloud-like masses. The color should be
rather oily, so that it will blend better. You will
hardly be able, however, to put in more than
one-half before it is ready to blend, if the head
is of any size. It can, however, be readily joined
above the head where the tint is light. By the
time you have washed in one-half your back-
ground, it will then be ready to blend, if the color
has not been used too wet, and you can proceed
to level the tint with a medium-sized blender.
Be particularly careful to soften the edges into
an insensible gradation toward the white surface.
If you have not been quick enough, and your
background has become too dry for this, you
will have to wipe it out and begin over again,
using a little more oil with the colors.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES. 5!
The other side of the background is finished
in the same way, care being taken that the junc-
ture with the side already done should show as
little as possible.
You may then proceed to the flesh tint. For
this take one-third rouge chair No. 2 (flesh red
No. 2), and mix it with two-thirds jaune tTivoire
(ivory yellow). Be careful not to take too much
of the yellow, as, if an excess of it is used, it
will devour the red when fired. The tint will,
of course, be made dark or light, according to
the complexion desired. With this tint wash in
the local color of the face and neck, carefully
passing around your tracing if it is in pencil. It
will probably be necessary to blend this tint,
using a small brush.
You should be careful not to cover so large a
surface with this wash that it will dry before you
have time to blend it. The whole of the face
should be done at once if possible, as otherwise
it will be difficult to hide the juncture.
The local tint of the hair may then be washed
in, and that of any drapery which may be col-
52
CHINA PAINTING.
ored. Leaving this part of the work to dry,
you may now return to the background, which
will now, probably, be dry enough to work over,
with care.
If it should not be dry enough, the piece may
be put into the oven a few moments to dry the
first washes.
Work over the background with cross hatch-
ings of the tint previously used, taking a mod-
erately large brush, and making the lines rather
broad, not too long, and very slightly curved.
Form in this way a shading in the background,
beginning very lightly inside the edge of the first
wash, and proceeding with an insensible gradation
toward the center, darkening it in this way around
the head, according as you wish a dark or light
background. Where it is suitable, a light back-
ground seems to have the most pleasing effect
upon the white ground, and is also less difficult
to paint.
In working over the tints first laid, be very
careful not to have your brush too wet, as that
will cause the under color to come up. The
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
53
damage thus done is very difficult to repair. This
will not be so likely to happen if the work has
been dried in the oven.
After the background proceed to the face., For
the shadow tint mix one-third noir divoire (ivory
black), one-third bleu del (sky blue), and one-third
rouge chair ^ No. 2, (flesh red. No. 2). Be care-
ful not to have too much blue, as that will give
the shadows too green a tint in the firing, although
it will not show previously. More of the flesh
color may be added when you wish to lighten the
shadows, or when a more ruddy tint is desired.
The features may be outlined delicately with this
shadow tint, and then the masses of shadow
should be placed. Put them as nearly as pos-
sible in their proper places, with a very light
touch, and without blending if possible.
It may probably be necessary to blend the
edges, and the darker portions should, perhaps,
be lined and stippled in the finishing. Before
the shadows are completed, the cheeks and lips
may be touched with brun rouge riche (deep red
brown), used very delicately. This color is rather
54
CHINA PAINTING.
intensified than otherwise by the fire, and al-
though it is an excellent tint for this purpose, it
must be used with care.
The lips may be shaded with a little black
mixed with the red brown, or with violet de fer
(iron violet). The nostrils may also be delicately
touched with this color, but should be darkened
with the shadow color of the flesh.
The eyebrows and eyes should now be painted,
the eyebrows with a light tint, corresponding to
the local color of the hair, and the shadow color
to be used in the hair. Blend them naturally
into the flesh color with delicate lines and shad-
ings. The eyes may be painted with bleu del
(sky blue) shaded with black,or with brown shaded
with black, if dark. The spot of reflected light
on the eye may be left the white of the china, or
touched with permanent white.
White may be employed for such purposes as
this, or for pearls, to imitate embroidery or lace,
and for the highest lights in white drapery, but
must be used with care. It seems rather liable
to spread in the firing, and sometimes to blister.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
55
But to continue — if the hair is dark, take
hrun^ No. 4, fonce (dark brown) and shade
it with black mixed with the brown ; or, if
light, use yellow brown, or sepia, subdued with
black. If very light, ivory yellow can be used
for the first wash, and left for the highest lights,
shaded with sepia and black. The touches of
the brush in making the hair should be fine
strokes, outlining and giving direction to the
masses. The hair should never be blended.
These finishing touches of the hair, as well as
those on the face, should be done with a fine
brush. After the various parts have been
brought to about the same degree of finish,
they should be gone over again, and be
brought together up to the highest degree of
finish possible to the painter. It is well to know
when to stop, however, as overworking is as bad
as lack of finish. There is a great deal in know-
ing when to let well enough alone. When you
do not see anything more to do, stop.
The drapery, if white, should be painted so
as to leave the white of the china for the local
56
CHINA PAINTING.
color, and shaded with black with the addition
of a little sky blue.
MONOGRAMS.
Monograms and similar designs maybe painted
in gold and colors. They should be drawn very
carefully with a hard lead pencil, or, if necessary,
traced from a correct drawing, and placed exactly
in the center of the place to be ornamented.
Letters require very precise drawing, and
should be taken from some authentic alphabet.
Old English letters are the best. Good speci-
mens, which would be of great assistance in this
very interesting study, will be found in the ''"‘Art
of IlLuminatingf by Tymms and Wyatt. The
quarto edition of i860 is the best.
Gold may be obtained from the decorator. If
in a moist state, it will be ready for use with
turpentine, which may be added with the brush;
or, if in powder, a little oil of turpentine ihould
be added in rubbing it down, with spirits of tur-
pentine, for diluting, as before.
COMPOSITION OF PALETTES.
57
The gold should not be laid on too thinly,
and on the contrary, not so thickly as to stand
out in relief on the surface. Gold mixed with
oil has, before firing, a dark brown color, and
should be laid upon the surface so as to com-
pletely obscure the white of the china. Letters
in gold may be shaded with a line of black.
Care must be taken that the gold and colors
are never laid one over the other, or, when placed
close together, that the edges of the two should
not impinge, as this would have a bad effect in
the firing.
Gold and colors sometimes affect each other
injuriously when placed in close proximity in the
painting, and fired at the same time. However,
when gold has been prepared to stand the same
degree of heat as the colors, and is used for
borders or for similar purposes, a good result
can usually be obtained in one firing.
Palettes for fruit and other subjects may be
selected from the lists of colors already given,
but the rules as to the mixture of the pigments
with reference to their chemical composition
must be kept in mind.
58
CHINA PAINTING.
CHAPTER VI.
TINTED GROUNDS.
In mixing tints for borders or any considerable
surfaces, it is necessary to use more oil than for
other painting. It is especially desirable to mix
enough balsam of copaiva with the color and the
other oils, to prevent it from drying before there is
time to blend it. The quantity of oil varies with
the depth of the tint desired, and the particular
color used, also the condition of the atmosphere
at the time the ground is laid. Some colors,
such as carmine and blue, require more oil than
others, and are more difficult to lay. It is hard
to give an idea of the amount of oil which
should be used in any particular case. There
is no danger of using so much that the paint
will blister in the firing, when it is laid very
thinly.
Enough color must be mixed to cover the en*
TINTED GROUNDS.
59
tire surface upon which the ground is to be laid,
at once. If tube colors are used, it will simply be
necessary to mix a little balsam of copaiva with
them as they are taken from the tubes, to keep
them from drying too rapidly. They may then
be diluted with turpentine.
If the powdered colors are used they should be
mixed with an amount of oil of turpentine, which
would occupy nearly as much space as the powder,
rather less of oil of lavender^ and about twice
as much balsam of copaiva. Afterward diluted
with spirits of turpentine. For laying grounds,
the color should be very thin, so that it will flow
readily from the brush. Mix on a glass slab,
and rub down well with a muller. When per-
fectly smooth, have ready a piece of the finest
wire cloth, three or four inches square, bend it
to form a depression in the middle, and strain
thecolor through it, lifting it with the palette knife,
and letting it drip through just before you are
ready to use it, so that it may be free from any
particles of dust.
Take a broad, flat brush, charge it well with
6c
CHINA PAINTING.
color, and pass it rapidly over the surface to be
tinted. If a cup, hold it upside down by the
handle, and make the strokes from the bottom
to the top ; or if you wish to tint the border of
a plate, the strokes may be made across the flat
edge, taking a direction from the center to the
circumference. If a vase, you should begin at
the top, passing around with short, over-lapping
strokes, taking care that the color is not so wet
that it will run.
When the surface has been covered, let it rest
a moment, until the color begins to set, and,
upon lightly touching the edge, it feels slightly
sticky. Then go over it with the blending brush,
holding the brush perpendicular to the surface
upon which you are operating, just touching it,
not dragging the brush or letting it rest upon
the surface, and not twice upon the same place.
After waiting a moment or so, you may go
over it again, and continue to blend it until
the tint is perfectly even.
If the brush becomes charged with the color,
it must be cleaned on a cloth wet with alcohol.
TINTED GROUNDS.
6l
and left a few moments to dry, or it may pos-
sibly do to wipe it on a dry cloth. It is better,
however, to have two or three blenders at hand,
so that if one becomes unfit for use, another can
be substituted at once.
Care must be taken that the brush, after it is
cleaned in alcohol, should become perfectly
dry before it is used again, as the alcohol will
remove the color. Dampness should also be
avoided when laying grounds.
A ball of cotton tied in a fine linen or cotton
cloth is sometimes used for blending, instead of
a brush.
The color which may have been allowed to go
over the edge should be carefully wiped off as
soon as you have finished blending.
By the use of a turning wheel the work of
putting on borders is, of course, much facilitated.
The wheel, however, is not absolutely necessary,
except when narrow bands are to be made. A
full border for a plate may be put on in the
manner described above.
It is difficult to describe narrow bands and
CHINA PAINTING.
62
lines, even upon circular pieces of china, as they
are seldom perfectly round, and the line has to
be adapted to a slightly uneven surface. It
would be as well not to attempt work of this
kind, which had better be left to the decorator.
Where dark grounds are desired, the color
should be dusted on by the following process :
Take a few drops of the oil especially prepared
for this purpose, thin with spirits of turpentine,
and mix thoroughly, by rubbing down with the
palette knife. Afterward, with a large brush
charged with it, pass quickly over the surface of
the china, being careful not to leave any spaces
uncovered and to put it on as evenly as possible.
Have ready a ball of cotton tied in a piece of
soft raw silk, and touch it lightly, distribu-
ting the oil evenly over the whole surface.
After waiting a moment or so until the oil has
become slightly sticky, take a large blending
brush, charged as fully as possible with the
powdered color you wish to use, and dust it
over the prepared surface, without slighting any
TINTED GROUNDS.
part. If a .surplus of powder lies upon the sur^
face anywhere, brush it off very lightly.
As the powder arising from this process is
disagreeable, as well as injurious, means should
be taken to prevent its inhalation.
This method, after all, is rather uncertain in
unskillful hands, it being very difficult to meas-
f
ure the success of the work until after the
firing, which, by rendering the color transparent,
brings out every defect.
Grounds of delicate tint, however, are very
pretty, and can be easily managed, after some
little practice, according to the directions given
above.
Besides the colors used in painting, there are
others especially prepared for grounds, which
can not be mixed.
It is as well to procure colors for grounds in
powder; especially, if they can be had, those
prepared by M. Lacroix, of the quality No. j,
which* are as finely ground as the tube colors.
If it is desired to paint a design upon the
tinted ground, the ground must be removed
64
CHINA PAINTING.
from the place the design is to occupy. If this
were not done, the color underneath would in
the firing mix with those superimposed, and
spoil the tints. This may be done by either of
the following methods:
First, the ground may be tinted, and, after it
is thoroughly dry, the design may be scratched
upon the surface and the color removed with a
scraper. A stick of soft wood, with a flattened
point moistened with turpentine, is also useful
for this purpose'; or, if the scraper alone is used,
the surface uncovered should be carefully cleaned,
after its use, with the end of a cloth rolled into
a point and moistened with turpentine.
The design may also be drawn upon the tinted
surface with a hard lead pencil (if delicately and
correctly done), and the color removed as before.^
Perhaps the second method would be the best
for any one not quite sure of drawing the design
correctly at once. That is, to draw the design
on the china first in India ink or any water color
which will show. The ground laid over this will
not disturb the outline, and, the sketch showing
TINTED GROUNDS.
through it perfectly, the design can be easily re-
moved by the process described after the first
method. This outline will burn out in the firing.
It would, however, be better to remove it as far
as possible, especially if dark, in order that it
may not interfere with the proper treatment of
the edges of the painted design.
Designs in colors, black silhouettes or mono-
chromes in grey, may be painted in this manner
upon tinted grounds.
66
CHINA PAINTING.
CHAPTER VII.
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION.
The mode of decoration should have reference
to the use for which a piece of china is intended.
Heads, figures, landscapes or flowers may orna-
ment plates, plaques or panels, which are to be
hung as pictures, or to have the place of honor
in the decoration of a piece of furniture.
For pieces or services intended for use, heads
or figures do not seem entirely appropriate.
Flowers or conventional designs would be more
fitting for such purposes.
Models of these various styles of decorations
are to be, found, which may be copied.
For figures, there are the exquisite designs of
Boucher, fac-similes of which are published col-
lectively or on separate sheets.
Walter Crane’s toy books would also furnish
good designs for another style, and photographs
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION. 67
from paintings or from life also furnish avail-
able models.
These studies are not, however, to be rec-
ommended to those who have not had a thorough
training in the art of drawing.
The slightest error is painfully apparent in the
drawing of a face or figure. The lack of the
freedom of hand, acquired by long practice, will
be manifest, and even a correct tracing from the
original will not save the outline from distor-
tion.
Numerous engravings and photographs- of
landscapes can be obtained, which may be painted
in colors or monochrome, and will be very
pleasing, as well as less difficult to draw.
Conventional forms are to be had from va-.^^
rious sources.
Those from Japanese designs are excellent sub-
jects for ceramic decorations. As for all decora-
tive purposes, designs of a conventional character
are the most generally appropriate and in the best
taste.
68
CHINA PAINTING.
If the artist is capable of composing good
decoration of this kind, so much the better.
This, as well as every other branch of art,
finds its best inspiration and development in the
study of the harmonies of color and form ex-
isting in nature. Good conventional designs
must be in accordance with the laws of natural
forms.
Flowers furnish, probably, the most generally
pleasing decoration for china, and will be more
frequently found within the scope of the abili-
ties of the amateur. It is rather difficult to ob-
tain good designs for the purpose of copying.
But why be content with a poor copy at second-
hand when the whole book of nature lies open
before you ? Let me urge those who wish to
practice art with profit as well as pleasure to
enter upon this delightful study.
The pleasure of being able to record the in-
numerable and exquisite combinations of color
and fornf’all around us, and the feeling of own-
ership in the studies thus made, will more than
compensate for the labor required to accomplish
GENERAL REMARKS ON DECORATION.
69^
these results. In the expressive words of Ham-
erton, This indeed is a noble object, to gain
admission into the paradise of natural beauty,
and whoever labors bravely for that end shall
have his reward.”
A. B. CLOSSON, JR„
KEEPS IN STOCK AND IS CONSTANTLY RECEIVING
FOR PORCELAIN PAINTING-,
WITH SPECIAL OILS, BRUSHES, BLENDERS, PLAQUES,
SLEEVE BUTTONS, HORSE SHOES, &c.
CLOSSON’S PLAQUE HOLDERS,
Tlxe Best cmd Safest Made.
EVERY VARIETY OP
ARTISTS’ BRUSHES,
ARTISTS’ COLORS,
ARTISTS’ EASELS,
ARTISTS’ PALETTES,
ARTISTS’ EBONY PANELS,
ARTISTS’ WHITE HOLLY PANELS,
Various Studies in Oil or Wafer Color, Figures,
Landscapes, Flowers. Charcoal or Crayon.
miLCTS' I ENGINEERS’ SIllIIONERf.
Reasonable Discount to Buyers at a Distance.
SEND FOR CATALOGUE.
-A.. B. CLOSSOISr, Jr.,
MAmJFACTVBBM AND IMFOBTEB,
186 West Fourth Street,
CINCINNATI.
GUSTAV HARTWIG,
PRACTICAL OPERATING
China Painter and Decorator.
TEACHER OF THE ART OF CHINA-PAINTING.’
PAINTED CHINA FIRED ON REASONABLE TERMS.
DEALER IN CHINA, CLASS, AND QUEENSWARE.
IMPORTER OF
China Colors and other Materials for China-Painting,
Decalomanta Pictures for China.
34 S WEST FIFTH STREET,
CINCINNATI, O.
Dinner Sets, Tea Sets, and Toilet Sets ; Cups for Birthday Presents, etc.
Shaving-Cups with Names and Glass Shields.
French and Stone China decorated to order. Sets matched and regildcd.
The Western Decorating Works
Have on hand the most complete line of the best English and
German Dry Enamel Colors, as well as Lacroix’s Tube
Colors, Oils, and all requisite materials for the decoration of
CHINA, POTTERY, TILES, ETC.
Also a full variety of White and Colored English Glazed
Tiles, Porcelain Slabs, and Plaques for Painting on.
All colors sold are previously tested at our works.
The firitig of Decorated Ware receives careful and i>rompt
attention at our hands- ♦
Price list of colors, firing, etc., etc., sent on application.
GRUNEWALD & SCHMIDT, Prop’rs,
WESTERN DECORATING WORKS,
106 Randolph Street, Chicago.
CHINA FOR DECORATING.
Haviland & Cos
LIMOGES French China,
Universally acknowledged, as the best
for all purposes.
ALSO, ANTIQUE AND MODEEN SHAPES OF
POLISHED POTTERY,
LIMOGES B'AIENCE, DOULTON,
VALERIE,
LONGWY, GIEN,
MAJOLICA,
PARIAN, FLEMISH,
BISQUE AND LAVA WARES.
IN A GREAT VARIETY of the LATEST DESIGNS.
ALSO, AGENTS FOR
CINCINNATI ENAMELED FAIENCE,
THE FIRST CERAMIC PRODUCT OF THE KIND
MADE IN AMERICA.
The decoration will be in original designs, which will no*
be repeated. The ware is made under a process originated b3»
Miss M. Louise McLaughlin, in October, 1877, by which ver^
brilliant and peculiarly translucent effects of color are producec
H. F. WEST, BRO. & CO.,
139 West Fourtli Streel-,
CINCINNATI.
A. H. ABBOTT & CO.
IMPORTERS OF
ChinaPainting
147 ST^TE STREET,
CHICAGO.
ARTISTS’ SUPPLIES, WAX FLOWER GOODS, GLASS SHADES, &C.
P. J. UI.RZGH^
Corner Twelfth Street and Fourth Avenue, New York,
IMPORTER OF
ARTISTS’ MATERIALS,
FOR OIL, WATER COLOR, PASTEL PAINTING AND DRAWING.
Winsor & Newton’s Oil and Water Colors.
Dr. Fr. Schoenfeld’s Celebrated Oil and Water Colors in Tubes,.
and Pans, and Gouache Colors in Bottles.
A. Lacroix’s and German Mineral Paints, in Tubes and Powder,
for Painting on China.
PORCELAIN SLEEVE BUTTONS for Decoration, by the pair
or dozen pair, at moderate prices.
Fancy Holly and Grey Wood Articles for Decoration.
Send for Price Lists. Orders from the country promptly executed."^
(Jonnoisxpups of ^prarair
Are invited to visit the establishment of
Messrs. Tiffany & Co., Union Square, New
York, and examine the largest collection of
Artistic Pottery in the world.
Examples from almost every furnace of
Europe may be studied there, and the collec-
tion includes many reproductions of classic
works of past eras, besides original master-
pieces of the present revival.
Reproductions by Doulton of Old Flemish Stone Ware.
Reproductions of the Scinde Pottery, made by the Bombay
Art Society.
Reproductions of the Venetian Glass of the Sixteenth Century.
Fac similies of the Trojan Iridescent Bronze Glass exhumed
by Dr. Schliemann.
New Plaques by Copeland, decorated with strongly drawn
heads, by Hewitt.
Recent examples of Ginori’s reproductions of Old Italian
Majolica.
Examples of the Cincinnati Enameled Faience.
New Plaques by Minton, decorated by Mussill with novel
studies of marine plants.
Specimens of Capo di Monti Ware, Austrian Iridescent, and
Enameled Glass, Limoges Faience of New Colors, and
recent productions of the Royal Works at Worcester,
England.
TIFFANY & CO.,
UNION SQUARE,
NEW YORK.
THE AMATEUR’S MINIATURE KILN
Enables the artist to “ fire” small articles of Decorated China, such
as Tiles, Cups, Saucers, etc., with perfect success,
IN AN ORDINARY KITCHEN STOVE.
Several sizes. Prices $^.co and upward. Circular with full
description, directions for use, etc., sent on receipt of stamp.
Address the Patentee, MISS N. M. FORD,
Port Richmond, N. Y.
For sale, also, by the SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE ART, New York City.
HENRY L. FRY & WM. H. FRY,
Architectural Carvers in Wood,
ARTISTIC FURNITURE DESIGNED AND NIADE TO ORDER.
Lessons given in Wood Carving and Drawing by Laura A. Fry,
Offices, S. W. Cor. Fifth and Race Sts.,
CINCINNATI, O.
JANENTZKY & CO.,
IMFOEIEES OF AHD DEALEEF IN
Colors for China and Tile Painting,
IN TUBES AND BOWBEIt,
PORCELAIN PLATES (oval and square), and TILES,
ALL EINDS OP
DRAWING AND PAINTING MATERIALS,
WAX FLOWER MATERIALS.
OI^ASS COIiORS IMPORTED TO ORDER.
11^3^ Ohestnut Street,
PHILADELPHIA.
A. LACROIX’S ENAMEL COLORS,
FOR PAINTING ON CHINA, EARTHENWARE, ETC.
In Tubes like moist Oil Colors, or dry in Powder.
Largest Variety in America of Mineral Colors, Fine Brushes,
and all Materials for
Gincmati and Limoges Enameled Faience,
Longwj Eelief, Undergla^e, Porcelain, and Elass Painting.
Erhard’s Studies of Flowers, etc., painted by hand to copy
from on China, with directions attached which colors to use.
SEND FOR PRICE LIST TO
(/. MARSGHING & GO., Importers,
21 Park Place, NEW YORK.
ROBERT CLARKE & CO.
||HM}s|ers, ^ocksellers, Stationers | Importers
CINCINNATI, O.
HAVE JUST ISSUED A SECOND EDITION OP THEIR
C.^T.A.XjOC3--CrE OIF’ 02T OTITIEI
yinf XrR
Part I.—GENERAL; Art, Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics; Descriptive,
Historical, and Biographical.
Part II. — PRACTICAL: Drawing, Painting, Carving, Engraving, and
Photography.
Will he sent by mail on receipt of a three-cent stamp.
A LARGE STOCK OF FINE ART BOOKS always on hand, and special
attention given to the collection of Rare Works, and the importation of
Foreign Books. gtf^Letters of Inquiry meet with prompt attention.
ROBERT CLARKE & CO., Cincinnati, O.
GETTY CENTER LIBRARY
3 3125 00114 8721
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